A Union Beyond Man or Machine
by LavaringX
Summary: Alpha and Flamegirl finally tie the knot and become husband and wife. This fanfic is loosely connected to my earlier Kizetto fanfic "A Shot in the Dark," since Zetto and Kizuna have made up by the time this takes place. Huge Thank-You to Scribblehooves on Tumblr for drawing the cover art for me! Inspired by Rassilon001's fanfic "Netiquette for a Wedding." Special thanks to Candaru!


Alpha pulled on the cuff of his tuxedo as he fidgeted nervously.

The year was 2027, and, having finally graduated college, Alpha (or as he was known in real life, Michael) had decided it was finally time to tie the knot with the love of his life. The trouble was that both of them were still so young, only in their mid-twenties, and Mike hadn't known anyone to get married so soon since the middle ages. Alpha was busy thinking of all the ways that what should be the best day of his life could go wrong. He might trip at the altar, or something might go wrong down the line…

As if he was reading his thoughts, his best man spoke while fixing his bowtie.

"How're you holding up?" asked Zetto. Though he didn't show it on his face, he was smirking on the inside. It was just like Michael to get all worked up like this on such an occasion, and Chris was positive that everything was going to be just fine.

"Terrified!" admitted Michael, who had begun to visibly panic.

"Hehe, yeah." replied Chris. This time, Chris's self-control betrayed him, and he started smirking on the outside, too. "Don't worry, Mike. Everything's gonna be fine. You've got an amazing wife-to-be, and you're gonna be surrounded by nice friends. Don't stress!"

"What if Steph's family has a problem with me?" Mike blurted out. It was a somewhat childish question, but Chris just laughed it off.

"You've met her family before loads of times. If they had a problem with you, I'm sure they'd have said something by now. Come on, this is supposed to be your special day! Lighten up a little. You know I've got your back if anything goes wrong." Chris joked, winking at Michael as he said it.

"Y-Yeah." said Mike. Deep down, he knew that Chris was right. The circumstances just felt too good to be true. He couldn't get over the idea that it had been seven years since he and Flamey had met, that they had started to date, and that now they were to be wed at long last.

Michael looked around the dressing room. The only people in it were him and Chris, but he knew that more of their friends were coming shortly. Nylocke was going to help Mike prepare to meet his bride after Zetto had finished helping him get dressed, and he was going to be bringing SOFDTI on a laptop so that she could witness the union herself.

"There! All done." Said Zetto, who had deliberately taken far longer than necessary to help fix Michael's bow tie. "Don't tell me you're _still _nervous…"

"Well…" said Mike.

"Don't be." said Zetto, who was still grinning. "Trust me, me and Lilly have had way more strain on our relationship than you and Steph, and everything still turned out OK in the end. Even with all the crazy crap you guys went through, I don't believe you ever stopped loving each other for a second. If there's one couple in the world who I can believe will be together forever, it's you guys. Nothing could ever tear you two apart."

…

"Flamey, you're tearing apart your dress."

Saturndiva winked at Stephanie as she helped her fit into her beautiful wedding gown. As one of Flamey's bridesmaids, she felt the need to make sure she looked her absolute best for her special day. Sat was wearing a beautiful gold-and-white dress of her own, but at the moment, her mission was to help Stephanie look her best, and she was not gonna let anything stop her.

"Well, it's your fault for having such shaky hands." Despite what she was saying, Stephanie was smiling and laughing, and Saturndiva knew that Flamey was thrilled that her best friends could be here for her wedding day.

Whyti, who had also been invited to be a bridesmaid, was practically jumping with joy. Her own blue-and-white gown bounced up and down and Whyti erratically swung her arms, implicitly cheering Flamey on.

"You look so cuuute!" squealed Whyti, as she lifted her arms up to her face in excitement. "I always had a feeling about you two, you know. Don't you remember?"

Stephanie had to chuckle at that.

"Yeah, I remember. Don't lord it over me too much, now, you weren't the only one…"

Stephanie looked in the mirror and smiled. Though she was a little embarrassed by Sat and Whyti's teasing, she had to admit that they were right. Even back when she and Michael had first met online on TOME, Sat and Whyti had guessed that they liked each other before they themselves realized it. And now, seven years later, they were finally going to be married… she could hardly believe it. It felt like just yesterday that it was a challenge just to see each other in real life, and now, they were going to spend the rest of their lives together forever.

The only person in the room who was feeling awkward was Kizuna. Though Alpha and Flamegirl had long since forgiven her for everything that had happened with SOFDTI, Kizuna didn't feel nearly as close to the happy couple as everyone else did. Chris had asked her specifically to become a bridesmaid (as Stephanie had been one short during the wedding planning), and had made her wear a red-and-black gown for the occasion. Though she had done it as a favor to Chris, secretly she was happy. She didn't want to ruin the wedding, but she was worried she didn't belong.

Kizuna, also known as Lilly, fidgeted in her seat as Whyti, Sat and Flamey giggled over jokes and happy memories. Suddenly, Stephanie's mother entered the dressing room, signalling that the procession ceremony was about to start. Sat and Whyti grabbed bouquets of flowers as Lilly awkwardly blushed and fixed the flower in her hair.

The doors opened, and the full scale of the audience was revealed. Music blared, and everyone began to clap as the bride-to-be walked down the aisle, her dress being carried by her three bridesmaids. Stephanie's family sat on one side of the Church, while Michael's was seated on the other. At the front of the Church were Mike and Steph's close friends - Nylocke was closest to the altar and was beginning to tear up. Also in attendance were the remaining Netkings; Execk was wearing his best suit (which just so happened to be the one he always wore), Kindarspririt was wearing a cute white dress of her own, and Bitshrum was wearing a tacky tuxedo that nevertheless only made him more endearing. In Nylocke's hands was the laptop from which SOFDTI watched the proceedings, wearing a cute little bowtie designed by Bitshrum (who had taken over Rubirules's former duties of graphic design). Kizuna awkwardly fidgeted as she passed by SOFDTI while carrying Flamey's gown, though in SOFDTI's eyes there was only an expression of forgiveness.

At the altar itself, Alpha watched as his bride came towards him, at a loss for words. Though he already knew it in his heart, it finally occurred to him that the woman he was going to spend an eternity beside was the most beautiful woman in the world. Webmaster had been legally designated an officiator by the state of Washington to conduct the marriage ceremony, at Michael and Stephanie's request, and so waited at the altar for the bride to arrive so he could perform his duty. Finally, Zetto stood off to the side of the altar, as Alpha's best man.

Flamegirl finally reached the altar after much celebration, and Alpha finally knew that what Zetto had told him was true. Stephanie's face was lit with a bright, warm smile, and Alpha's stomach did a somersault. He clasped Stephanie's hands when she finally stood beside him in front of Webmaster, his heart beating at a mile per minute. He knew that this was the moment he and she had been waiting for, and that it was going to be one they'd cherish forever after.

The room became quiet as Webmaster cleared his throat, signalling that he was about to speak.

"Gathered friends," said John, "We are here today to celebrate the union of this young couple, a union which I assure you is one beyond Man or Machine." He snuck a glance at SOFDTI while he said this.

"Now, I'm aware that these two have been through quite a lot, so I think they're ready to get this over with as soon as possible," Webmaster teased with a smile. Even though he laughed as well, Alpha felt that this moment could last forever. Staring into his wife's beautiful eyes, he was happier than he'd even been in his life.

"Michael, do you swear to take Stephanie as your lawfully wedded wife, through good times and bad, through sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Alpha knew the answer in a heartbeat. "I do."

"And do you, Stephanie, take Michael as your lawfully wedded husband, through the good times and the bad, through sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Alpha and Stephanie stared each other in the eyes as she gave her answer.

"I do."

"Then, by the power vested in me by, well— by the two of you— I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Michael and Stephanie didn't hesitate for a second, and the next moment their lips were held in a tight embrace. The audience began to burst into cheers and applause, as the light from the stained glass window behind them shone brightly upon the newly wedded couple. Standing beside Alpha, Zetto gave him a smirk as he and his bride finally broke from their kiss. Alpha smiled. What was the point of worrying? Especially when everything turned out like this…

Alpha and Flamegirl began to walk down the altar with their arms locked in each other's. Everyone cheered as they exited the chapel, as music began to play. Stephanie was presented with a bouquet of flowers, to which she laughed and promptly tossed them into the crowd. Somebody caught it, but she didn't see who. Everything really had turned out just fine…

…

The after-party was a wild and joyous celebration. Michael and Stephanie had finally re-joined the crowd, and everyone was having a great time. The Netkings were gathered around the wedding cake, and Nylocke was a sobbing mess, so Stephanie and SOFDTI had to comfort him despite everything.

"OH, blessed day!" Nylocke exclaimed through his tears of joy.

"Nylocke, it's OK, don't cry…" said Stephanie, giggling.

Kizuna glanced awkwardly at SOFDTI. This was the first time that they had interacted since the incident in TOME's core, and she was extremely nervous. How could she ever make up for what had happened?

As it began to grow dark, SOFDTI asked Nylocke to give her laptop to Kizuna. Although he was surprised, he respected her wishes, and relented.

"I don't want to talk," said Lilly, overlooking the balcony.

"We both know that you do."

Kizuna had to blush at that. Even though they were not plugged into TOME, SOFDTI still seemed to be able to read her thoughts.

"I thought it was the right thing to do. You know that. I didn't want you to be able to hurt anyone else."

"It's OK, Lilly." said SOFDTI. "I forgive you."

"I didn't ask for that." responded Lilly, turning away.

"It doesn't matter. I forgive you."

Kizuna closed SOFDTI's laptop and buried her face in her hands. She knew that closing the laptop SOFDTI was running on wouldn't hurt her, who was still perfectly fine on her server. But even so, Lilly wanted to be alone.

As Zetto had noticed her outside by herself, however, it appeared her wish was not to be granted.

"Is everything alright? I'm sorry if I made you come…"

"It's nothing, Chris. I'm all right."

"Are you sure?"

Lilly stared into Chris's eyes. Finally, she forced a smile.

"You know me so well it hurts."

There was a long, awkward silence. Suddenly, Chris noticed that Kizuna was holding something behind her back.

"You caught the bridal bouquet."

Lilly blushed even harder than before. Finally, she replied.

"That I did."

"...Do you want to tell me something?"

"It's just that… well… this whole wedding business has got me thinking about us. About our future."

Chris slowly started to understand what Lilly was saying.

"...Are you saying that… you think we should start thinking about getting married, too?"

Kizuna's face was now the color of a tomato.

"Not so fast, Romeo. I'm… thinking about it, is all."

It was now Zetto's turn to blush, followed by another awkward silence.

"...Well, if that's the case…"

Kizuna had finally gotten tired of Zetto's shenanigans. "You doofus! I'm trying to tell you that I love you! Seeing your friends on that altar, being so insufferably happy…it made me jealous. And it reminded me that I… want to spend the rest of my life with you…"

Lilly's comment was met by a kiss from Christopher. It was long and passionate, and was illuminated by light from the night's full moon. Finally, their lips parted.

"I love you too. You know that! And if we did get married, well… I'm sure that things would be just fine then, too."

Lilly and Chris took a moment to stare out into the night sky, before Lilly mustered the courage to take Chris's hand in hers. Inside, there were plenty of flowers and sparkly lights for the new, happy couple, as Whyti and Sat shared stories of the bride and groom. But as things were now, Kizuna was perfectly content being with her own lover, staring out at the stars. Whatever happened in the future, she was sure it would be a bright one.


End file.
